Midterm Mania: Putting Trump on the Ballot

The last decade has been dominated by one name: Donald Trump. Whether it’s his supporters or his detractors, the current president of the United States has remained the driving force in media and political spheres. The Democratic Party has unfailingly made just about every campaign a referendum on Trump, perhaps as a substitute for policy development. The 2026 midterms, it turns out, won’t be any different.

The Trump Distraction

Democrats are hoping to portray Trump and the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention, which kicked off Wednesday in Dallas, as out of touch with the struggles of everyday Americans. That effort began Wednesday morning with a press conference at Dallas City Hall, where Democrats, led by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, argued that the so-called “Trump-a-palooza” is little more than a distraction from the problems Americans are facing.

“Donald Trump is hoping that a flashy primetime event will make you forget that his trade war is killing costs for families at the grocery store,” Gov. Pritzker said. “His war in Iran is killing ranchers and farmers and their way of life. And his war on people, the working people of this country, is raising the costs of health care and housing.”

Pritzker didn’t offer any clear solutions for these problems beyond urging voters to elect Democrats, but he did claim the president is “suffering from dementia,” and the GOP is “working to rig” the midterms. With a Democratic Party platform that includes pursuing potentially destructive economic plans, expanding abortion, “advancing equity,” and protecting “gender-affirming care,” it’s no wonder left-wing leaders would rather screech about Trump and the GOP than discuss their own policy proposals. If the convention is meant to distract from Republicans’ failures, Democrats also appear to see it as an opportunity to divert attention away from their own failures.

Checkmate?

Before the historic midterm convention began, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin insisted in a statement: “Republican candidates are on defense, running away from Trump because they know Trump is historically unpopular and that voter enthusiasm is surging in favor of Democrats.”

Martin’s analysis is a bit of a stretch. Yes, some Republicans decided to skip the convention, including three GOP candidates in critical battleground states – but a long list of Republican nominees and lawmakers joined the event, including Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, and Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.

Democrats aren’t the only ones hoping to make November’s elections all about Trump. Many Republicans are also working to put the president on the ballot in all but name – and what better way to do that than by having him give the opening-night keynote speech at the GOP’s convention?

During his address, Trump promised to issue $5,000 to every adult citizen if the GOP wins both the House and the Senate this fall. “The reason the Democrats can’t do that is because they don’t do tariffs. They don’t take in money. All they know is poverty and how to ruin our country,” Trump said. “So if the Republicans win, you win with us.” Putting $5,000 in the pocket of every American adult would certainly help ease some of the immediate financial pressure they’re facing. Your move, Democrats.